Cold War Kids – Hospital Beds

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  Lyric Correction:If there is still any controversy over the correct words, I guess many of you don't know, but the cover artwork for this single has all of the lyrics. So "sharing hospital", "nurses are fussin'" and "Vietnam, fishing trips, Italian opera" are all correct. Look it up if you don't believe me!

  Flag chaiyah17on March 26, 2012   Link

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  Lyric Correction:I think it's actually:
  
  "Vietnam, fish and chips, Italian opera"
  
  My reasoning is that each refers to a specific place—Vietnam, England, and Italy—whereas "fishing trips" doesn't really hold any cultural meaning.
  Besides that, I love the song. :3 Though I'm still unclear on the meaning.

  Flag entitudeon January 15, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I agree strongly that "Vietnam" and "Fishing Trips" are separate. The narrator is looking back on life from his hospital bed: He was in Vietnam, most likely for the war but not necessarily, and he is remembering fishing trips and Italian opera.
  I think "put out the fire on us" is asking to be healed but "bring your nieces and your cousins" refers to people coming to visit as the narrator nears the end of their life. I think the song is about asking for healing but ultimately not getting.
  

  Flag orthetigeron January 15, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:Finally!!! Combat troops are out of Iraq... August 30th 2010! This Cold War song is about war and the endless cycle of troops. Listen to the lyrics. It's a plea for help to us! We are the target audience ;) we need to put out the fire.

  Flag jbielloon September 01, 2010   Link

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    I know this comment is really really old and I created an account just to reply to this for some reason, but we had Troops in Iraq until December 17th. I know this because my unit was the last one to leave Baghdad and a few days beforehand I was reading the news paper with Obama talking about how all of the troops are finally home.

    Flag Breadfishhon March 08, 2013  
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  General Comment:i know what the song is about, but what about the video? it doesn't tie in

  Flag treblecleffon August 04, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:Is everyone on this thread totally insane? The lyrics are "We eat now, fish and chips", because on fridays hospitals serve fish and chips. What would 'vietnam fishing trips' mean anyway?

  Flag Jonathenon January 14, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I dont know if this is true, but i heard this song is about two guys going thru rehab.
  
  "put out the fire boys..."= suffering withdrawls
  "we've got no chance of recovery"= the everyday struggle of sobreity
  
  but thats just my opinion

  Flag SisterAmpon December 22, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I agree about this being a reference to the Vietnam war. 3 things that I don't think have been mentioned that could suggest this meaning:
  
  "Put out the fire on us" - a possible reference to napalm air strikes?
  
  "Vietnam fishing trip" - This one a bit far-fetched, but sometimes Asians are derogatorily referred to as 'fish-heads'
  
  Consider the band's name: "Cold war kids"

  Flag CavalierAUon November 19, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I never really thought this song had a deeper meaning than two men in a hospital room who find connections, as Nathan said it was about, but today I found my own meaning in it.
  We were discussing the type of characters that Ernest Hemingway created and how they were always depressed. My teacher was talking about how a lot of people always say "well, why are they so depressing? All they do is sit around and whine" and then she explained that maybe these people just needed another person to be depressed with. They needed someone to complain to and they needed someone who was in a bad place, too, so they could be understood.
  And out of nowhere, I thought of this song and how these men in a hospital were metaphors or people who weren't emotionally well, and because they are both in a bad condition, they stick together because they needed somebody else. They didn't need someone to make them happy, they just needed someone who would understand them.

  Flag electricmoonon September 08, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:Vietnam, fishing trips, Italian opera = The three top conversations he has or hears. he says "ive heard it all in the hospital", this is also a refrence, meaning nothing ever differn't happens in the hospital. he's just got to put up with there being nothing to do in the hospital. He is an observer, anyone who has experiance being in the hospital for long periods of time can deffenitly relate to the lyrics, " Joy and misery "
  
  " put out the fire on us " = end it, the hole experiance, coming and going, at day or night, its !boring and tiering! Even his opening line is " There's nothing to do here
  So just whine and complain".

  Flag Pbradleyon August 23, 2009   Link

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